A year ago, Brad Keselowski entered the race at Kentucky Speedway in a slump and fighting to stay in the top 10 in the Sprint Cup standings.

A year later, Keselowski is right back in the same position, with one big difference — he is winless in 16 races this season and in jeopardy of possibly missing the Chase.

Keselowski had two wins at this point last season. When he scored his third victory at Kentucky, he took a bow in victory lane, flexed his muscle and set off on a spectacular streak that not only vaulted him into the Chase but ignited a championship run.

Keselowski desperately needs a spark. After a hot start, he has just one top-10 finish in his last eight races and has fallen to ninth in the standings. Without a win, that puts him in a precarious position with just 10 races left before the Chase.

Keselowski’s win at Kentucky last year sparked a streak of seven straight top-10s and 14 in 15 races.

He needs a similar streak to turn around what has been a disappointing season so far.

He’ll run all three races at Kentucky this weekend and try to trump Kyle Busch, who also will race in all three events and won the inaugural race at Kentucky in 2011.

Who will be their chief competition?

Who’s Hot

Greg Biffle — Biffle has three straight top-10 finishes and has climbed from 13th to sixth in the past three races.

Carl Edwards — Edwards is not on a blistering hot streak — just two consecutive top-10s — but he has trimmed 26 points off Jimmie Johnson’s points lead in the past two races.

Kevin Harvick — Harvick has emerged as the most consistent driver on the circuit with six straight top-10s, including a win and three top-fives.

Martin Truex Jr. — Truex has finished third and first in his last two races, matching the best two-race stretch of his career, which came the last time in won in 2007.

Who’s Not

Denny Hamlin — Hamlin’s chances of rallying to make the Chase are quickly fading. He has finished 23rd or worse in three of his past four races and has three finishes of 30th or worse in his last seven.

Juan Pablo Montoya — Montoya was building momentum with three recent top-10s, but last week’s heartbreaking finish was a big blow. After running out of fuel while running second on the final lap, he has gone 14th, 20th and 34th in his last three races.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. — The only thing overshadowing his rookie struggles is that his girlfriend is running worse. Stenhouse has gone 26th, 16th and 27th in his last three races.

Favorites

Brad Keselowski — He won last year and finished seventh in 2011. He has led 147 laps in the two Cup races at Kentucky and seems to know this track better than anyone.

Kyle Busch — Only Busch has been more dominant than Keselowski at Kentucky. Busch won there in 2011 and has led 243 laps in the two races.

Matt Kenseth — Kenseth is one of four drivers who have finished in the top 10 in the first two Kentucky races. He also excels on 1.5-mile tracks. Two of his three wins this year came on 1.5-mile tracks, and all three came on intermediate tracks. If Toyota can ramp up its horsepower just a tick — and keep his engine from blowing — Kenseth should be a strong contender.

Jimmie Johnson — With 63 career victories, Johnson has proven he can win anywhere and at anytime. He has been strong on intermediate tracks this year and has finished third and sixth in his two races at Kentucky.

Danica Watch

Two weeks ago, she was impressive at Michigan, finishing a surprising 13th. But last week, she was horrible on the road course at Sonoma, wrecking twice and finishing 29th. So who knows what to expect this week? Patrick has struggled on 1.5-mile tracks this year, with a best finish of 25th.

Predictions

Bob Pockrass: Joey Logano. The winner of the Nationwide race at the track in 2008. And 2009. And 2010. That’s Joey Logano. Granted, it hasn’t translated into Cup success but the guy has a ton of laps at this place. And he’s been strong on 1.5-mile tracks this year. He was fifth at Charlotte and Texas. He also ran well at California and Michigan. If not for a 25-point penalty earlier this year, Logano would be eighth in the Cup standings. He’s having a good season and he will be a threat Saturday.

Jeff Owens: Jimmie Johnson. A new car on a track where Cup drivers have only raced twice, where in-race adjustments will be key. Sounds like a perfect scenario for “Five-Time” to me.